Shop Windows to the Universe

Tools for mineral identification include hand lenses (lower left), a penny for testing hardness (center), a streak plate (lower right), and an identification guidebook (top).
Click on image for full size Windows to the Universe

Related links:

Books to Help You Identify Minerals and Rocks!

Are you going out to search for rocks and minerals?

How will you know what types you have found?

Identification guidebooks for rocks and minerals can be very helpful.
Pick one that has nice color pictures and language you can understand. Look for the titles below at a bookstore or library near you!

You might also be interested in:

Stick these things into a small bag and take them wherever you go hunting for minerals. A hand lens lets you look closely at small mineral crystals or fossils. A small, white porcelain plate is used for...more

Spotting minerals is fun! There are many different types of minerals. Each has a different name and special traits. You can learn more about minerals by looking closely at them to understand their special...more

This mineral is called quartz! Sometimes it looks white like milk but usually it looks clear like glass, sometimes with a little pink or gray tinge of color. You can find crystals of quartz in many different...more

There are at least 2000 minerals on Earth. That's a lot of minerals! But you don't need to know all of them to spot the minerals lurking in the rocks of your backyard. That is because only a small number...more